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The differences between engineering specialist technicians and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an engineering specialist technician and an engineering technician lead. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $89,631 average annual salary of an engineering specialist technician.
The top three skills for an engineering specialist technician include troubleshoot, project management and powerpoint. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $89,631 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $43.09 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 74,148 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Engineering specialist technicians draw up equipment and product blueprints and plans. They design and build planned equipment/product prototypes and analyze product/system performance. Besides creating daily laboratory activity reports and ordering and replacing equipment parts, engineering specialist technicians also help software design and write computer programs. These professionals address and resolve product glitches and problems and conduct regular product/equipment maintenance. Moreover, engineering specialist technicians inspect product designs for issues/problems and suggest the right ways to enhance products/equipment.
Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.
Engineering specialist technicians and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $89,631 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $124,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering specialist technician and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering specialist technicians' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |